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Dealerships - The good and the bad

46K views 89 replies 67 participants last post by  SoCalESV 
#1 · (Edited)
Dealerships - The good ones and the bad ones

People mostly complain about poor dealership service, but every once in a while there are actually dealers that go above and beyond. Lets create a thread and get these dealers some attention. Hopefully the good dealers will get some extra customers and the not so good will be forced to change their tactics.

If we are fortunate enough to have to have multiple pages of dealer reviews, one can use the forum search box to search by name of dealer or city to see if anyone has posted any info.

Don Thornton Cadillac in Tulsa OK has always treated me right.

Huber Cadillac in Omaha NE I would say also treated me right, although I had an issue once or twice they did make it right.

Vaughn Automotive IA salesmen were a little sketchy but called me back to seal the deal after I walked out.

So lets hear it people, the good and the bad. Try to keep it short so its an easy read.
 
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#32 ·
Cadillac Village Norwood MA

I bring my Escalade here for warranty work they have been great except the last time I brought it in they
couldn't find the problem I was describing. I brought the tech on a ride a week later after GM contacts the
dealer and then he personally experienced what I was talking about but when they fixed it I still had to pay my warranty deductible Other than that a good dealership
 
#33 ·
Just a quick shout out to Braman Cadillac in Miami.

I have gone to many a GM dealership over the years to maintain/repair all my GM vehicles, and I have yet to find a more professional and courteous outfit. Over the last few months I have stopped several times to have my TPMS flashed, little wheel well liner tabs replaced, brake pedal greased, tire rubber removed from my bumper, and other small things and they've always done it on the spot and without charging me a dime. Although it would seem obvious that any GM dealership should do this as part of good customer service, as we all know it is not the case ... they often will try to make you book an appointment for the simplest thing and will charge you for it as well.

Braman is a very big dealership which sells several brands, their service operation is on a massive scale which would make them prone to treating owners and their vehicles like cattle, yet in my experience they have excelled in personal customer service and have not disappointed me once
 
#34 ·
Heritage Cadillac in Lombard IL and Motor Werks Cadillac in Barrington IL, both have great service. Although Heritage had the best waiting room I've ever had to wait in. Big screen TV, free coffee/hot chocolate machine, bottle water, cookies, snack packs, and a variety of of healthy items to nibble on.

Stay away from Patrick Cadillac in Schaumburg IL, the worst experience of my life. Waited over 10 minutes for someone to help me. Only reason they did, my car was "blocking" the entrance to the service department. Guy came over to ask me to move it.
 
#39 ·
The Valley Cadillac dealership in Rochester, NY rocks! After making 2 trips of 9 hours each and having to stay over while their technicians tried to cure the vibrations to no success. The Valley Cadillac dealership and Cadillac offered to purchase the Escalade back!!! Everything was done in an atmosphere of complete professionalism and extremely courteous smooth manner. They handled all the paperwork, documentation, numerous phone calls to GM, you name it and they handled it. Everything! I met the wonderful owner of The Valley Cadillac she could not have been more cordial and accommadating. She made sure the process was flawless. The general sales manager attention to details in this buy back process and purchasing process was fantastic. The service manager and general service manager trying to diagnose and correct the issues were spot on. If I have missed someone I apologize but as I told the owner - you have the most professional, friendly and courteous staff that I have had the pleasure of doing business with. It was an unbelievable experience for sure.

But we cannot forget the salesman Frank that took me through entire process from selling of the original 2013 Escalade,
the service process of trying to fix the vehicle, the buyback procedures, all the phone calls and emails Frank handled it in the most phenominal, caring and seamless fashion. He was right there the entire time. I was basically called upon to do not a thing. It was an almost transparent process. Before I knew it it was a done deal.

But the most important fact is that Frank handled the delivery of a new 2014 Escalade just like he did with the 2013 Escalade as if I were a new customer. Frank you are the best.

I am now a PROUD owner of a new 2014 Cadillac Escalade from The Valley Cadillac.
 
#40 ·
Anyone have experiences with any of the dealerships in the DC/MD/VA area other than Moore Cadillac in Chantilly? Specifically Jim Coleman Cadillac in Bethesda, Md or Lindsay Cadillac in Alexandria, Va?

I've been using the dealer I purchased my truck from for service et al (GM dealer albeit Chevrolet) and it's becoming a hassle driving back and forth from there (it's a decent hike). I'd consider making the trip to Chantilly since it's a dedicated Cadillac dealer but would prefer something closer. Really surprised actually that there is no Cadillac dealership in Tyson's Corner.

Thanks!
 
#42 ·
Heritage Cadillac in Lombard was great till they lost my service writer to BMW, then I started getting pitched heavy for brake fluid changes and the like . Final straw was in the body shop. They put on a heavily chipped (painted over) front bumper and insisted it was my bumper. I used to hand wax my truck and knew every inch of her body. I have been using Naperville Cadillac ever since, Even their detail shop manager Ramone gives me a chuckle or a peek at a Bentley under a car cover because he knows I'm a car nut. I don't know how many stone chips are on the front of my truck anymore, but was it really worth it at Heritage ???
Jerry
Downers Grove Il
 
#43 ·
Paul Conti Cadillac NY... I can only speak about the Service Department... The tech team damages more items than they fix. Famous for " No Problem Found" I have had broken clips, scratched wood trim, grease on headliner and carpet, Screws left off after service, Trim replaced and improperly installed, did not even leave the lot on all of the above items, multiple service visits. The Service department (writer) is great, but they have him tied to the desk. Sad, moving on to Sarrant NY (they have done service in the past, tried to stay close to home, but it did not work, so I'll drive a bit further and get the service done right. as soon as they finish the open items (unless they damage something else):mad2:
 
#45 ·
i have nothing but good things to say about Dondelinger Cadillac in Brainerd, MN. I recently bought my second Cadillac from them. They made buying a car fun. Their prices were competitive and everyone we came into contact were friendly and helpful. They went beyond what they needed to do with regards to making our experience a positive one. I would recommend this dealership to anyone in the market for a new or used Cadillac. The service department is great to deal with as well.

Brad
 
#47 ·
I just picked up my 11 ESV from Camargo Cadillac in OH. Nice guys (aren't they all) but now Im chasing small issues, my wife and I checked the truck out pretty good but the one thing we didnt check before the papers were signed was the power fold mirrors and of course, you guessed it the drivers side was stuck. Their service dept had just closed and now we are trying to find a good resolution for this, cause its not like I can take it back. I think they're just waiting for me to go away. Can anyone recommend a good dealership or Indy mech in the Raleigh/Cary area?
 
#52 ·
Hello dcarl320,

I’m sorry you ran into this concern already. It appears your fellow forum members are providing you some advice, but if you would like me to locate a Cadillac dealership in the Raleigh/Cary area please let me know. I’m happy to call around and see what price range you are looking at to have this repaired.

Katie O.
Cadillac Customer Care
 
#54 · (Edited)
Update, good news... I was able to work a deal with the dealership to send me the part. Im going to DIY the mirror, I havent seen a good write up on this yet, may be I will put together one with pics.

Update to the update.... Got the mirror in and now I know why I couldnt find too much on the replacement. It was fairly easy, there wasnt anything I couldnt figure out. I swapped the new parts for the old painted ones and everything is working well. Woot!! :thumbsup::cool:
 
#55 ·
I went to Chicago from Indianapolis (twice) for an 07 Escalade at Ray Chevy (northwest side of Chicago). The experience was terrible. I was constantly calling them for updates, getting the run around, listening to one cheezy line after another (I think they train their sales people with these cheezy sales pitch lines). In the end they were supposed to do a couple things and I was going to buy. Two trips up there and the truck wasn't ready when I arrived. Once finally ready I took it out for a test drive and a light popped up on the dashboard... once again something they were supposed to fix wasn't done. Very frustrating experience. I was fortunately able to get my deposit back and bought an Escalade from Odaniel in Fort Wayne, IN... the experience there was the exact opposite. Avoid Ray Chevy in Chicago.
 
#56 ·
Guess i'll post my experience with Rippy Cadillac in NC.

Drove 4.5hrs to them from VA Beach, VA to trade in my 07 Yukon for a 2010 Escalade. Had been dealing with the sales manager for a week over the phone and through email. We agreed on a price for my trade in, and a price for the new truck and I told them I'd be down on Saturday to do the deal.

I get there on Saturday afternoon around 5 or so, and I'm being told the agreed upon price for the new truck will cost me $1500 more and I can take it or leave it. Well after driving 4.5hrs, and getting all hyped up about a new vehicle - they knew they had me by the balls. There was a good 4-5 excuses for the price increase, and they kept telling me it was still a good deal, etc. Even told me they were talking about the wrong truck until I pointed out the stock # was the same. Well I don't care who you are, or what you are selling, when you agree to a price, it's just morally right to stick by it.

Test drove the truck and noticed a few very minor issues. Oh wait the service department is closed? At 5pm on a Saturday. Of course it is. I should not have had to fix these issues, but again, do I not buy it, or buy it and fix them myself. About $50 and an hour labor involved.

Alright suck it up and buy it anyway. I sit down to do the paperwork and tell the sales manager that i'll just pay the additional $1500 out of pocket so my monthly payment is where I figured it up at. No problem he says.
Paperwork was filled out, incorrectly, 5 times. Each time they kept trying to charge me for this or that, including NC tax (In in VA), NC title, etc. Finally we get all that sorted out and I go to pay the $1500. (It's after 6pm closing time now) I'm told they don't accept credit cards for payment. WTF? Ok so not only do I get screwed on paying an additional $1500 but now, after all the paperwork and everything is done, do you bother to tell me that you also want to screw me out of points too? Holy hell and I mad at this point. Offer up my visa check card since they tell me that is ok (but my normal visa is not??). Oh wait, your finance people are gone and cannot run my card. Super. Leave my CC info sitting on their desk the rest of the weekend? I think not. They finally decided to let me call them back on Monday with the info. Great I leave.

About 2 hours from home I realize they neglected to put my keys on the new keys. They took both out of the sales office to do that. Awesome I have no house key, no work key, and no key to my trailers. Its still raining, its dark out, and im even more upset. I was rushed out of the dealership because it was after closing time, and didn't get my keys. I also (my fault) left a portable tire inflator and jumper cables in the back of the trade in. Sweet.

So Monday rolls around, and I'm trying to pay these guys. No they wont accept the info over the phone, they want a picture of my card, front and back, and my drivers license sent to the sales manager via text message. WTF?!? Really, you want me to send my data over unsecured lines? How do I know the guy isn't going to sell off all my info? Not happy about that at all, and feel like im jumping through way too many hoops here. We went back and fourth for a few days on this. Eventually I was told the finance girls cant do anything without me there, and I just stopped replying to the sales guy. I had enough. 2 days later, according to my bank, the transaction was made. Why was that so hard? I'm also told they will mail me my keys and my inflator/cables.

A few days later my keys arrive. That's all.

I keep calling about my inflator and cables. Sales manager keeps blowing me off or not taking my calls.

Finally after 3 weeks I'm concerned that I have not received my title and the temp tags are about to expire. I called the sales manager again to inquire about that. I'm told they cannot give me the title. Well how the hell am I supposed to register the truck??
I finally called back and spoke to someone in the finance dept who got me to a titles dept. The lady was very helpful and said the title was going to be sent to me directly so I could take care of business with DMV. Great. A few days later I get the title. But it isn't signed and DMV will not take it. I call them back and explain the situation, and I'm told they don't sign titles. I've never heard of this before. They ended up sending me a dealer reassignment form a few days later. This worked at my VA DMV. Thank God.
I also explained the last time I called that I STILL had not received my inflator or cables after they were promised to me. I was also promised a copy of all the paperwork I signed, including the credit information. A week later I finally got my inflator and cables, but to this day I have yet to get any of the paperwork I signed.

I'm pretty sure I will never buy another vehicle from Rippy Cadillac. I know their parts dept here has rave reviews, and I really hope those folks have more of a brain than the sales people do. Their parts dept reviews here are the #1 reason I chose to drive 4.5 hrs away to go buy a vehicle from them. Big mistake.

In the end I have the truck, it is registered, runs well, I have my keys / inflator / cables, and I paid a fair price for it. But was it really worth all the extra hassle? Hell no.
 
#57 ·
Avoid Stewart Cadillac in downtown Houston, TX. We drove 4 hrs to go buy the specific platinum escalade awd I wanted. They promised that if I had to have work done on my esky that I would be given another esky to drive. It prob wouldn't be a platinum one but an esky none the least. Well when we got our esky it was dark. We drove back home in the dark. The next morning we noticed there was black spots on the linen colored roof. There was also a tear in the leather on the center console, a tear in the leather on the dash where a vent was, & the paint(tricolor) on the molding around the windows on the back was bubbled. We took pics and sent them to Stewart Cadillac. They said they would fix it there and would not authorize a dealership in Louisiana to fix it. We drove there and they refused to give me a rental car at all. We insisted they give us a rental car as promised. They gave us a ats which is def not an esky. I needed an esky cause I have a bad back. Then they told us we couldn't leave Texas with the car and they would need 7 days to fix my esky.

Needless to say I was not happy. They fixed the console and dash tears then authorized a local dealership in Louisiana to finally fix the pAint.

I would stay far away from them. If our local dealer doesn't have the model esky I want I will just order it from now on.

My local dealership Bubba Oustalet Cadillac treats me awesome. They are located in jennings, Louisiana
 
#58 ·
Re: Dealerships - The good ones and the bad ones

I wouldn't buy another Escalade from the Vallejo, California dealership... we have two 2007 & 2010 and they try to nickel and dime my family out of everything. The door handles are broken on the 2007.... I can't believe we spent all that money on fully loaded ESV Escalades for this quality and service.
 
#59 ·
I bought my 2009 Escalade Platinum from Bill Cramer Cadillac in Panama City. I negotiated the straight-out purchase by phone and made what I feel was a great deal. The sales staff (Neil Hudgens) was very helpful and followed up on everything I asked for. I flew from NE Ohio to Panama City and Neil picked me up at the airport. The vehicle was exactly as represented with no issues whatsoever. They filled the tank for me and even beat PenFed Credit Union's 2.59 rate with 1.9. I was out of there in an hour. One of the easiest and most satisfying car deals I've ever made. They are highly recommended.

This contrasts with the experience I had with Sullivan-Parkhill Cadillac in Champaign, Illinois two weeks prior. Same situation and I drove 450 miles out there to buy. The vehicle had several issues that were not shown by photographs or revealed by the dealer in negotiations. I told the salesman and sales manager that my original offer was not going to work with those issues I found out there. They truly could have cared less. I saddled up and drove back to Ohio. Worth it in the end as the Platinum I bought from Bill Cramer was exactly what I was looking for.
 
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